Lasting from 1930 to 1933. On the most part the Flip the Frog cartoons are not great or cartoon/animated masterpieces and it is sort of understandable as to why Flip didn't make it bigger. However they are far from terrible ones either and do hold some interest.
Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'Spooks' for me is among the best Flip the Frog cartoons, as well as being one of the original and easily the series at its creepiest. It is a very good cartoon, it is not perfect but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.
A lot of good things in 'Spooks'. The animation is good, with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The opening sequence in fact is outstanding. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.
There are more sight gags than a lot of the previous Flip the Frog cartoons, and they are very creative, beautifully timed and can be quite scary . Maybe not hilarious but they are some of the best gags of the series easily. There is a nice natural charm, a good deal of zest and it is certainly among the least sentimental Flip the Frog cartoons, which is a good thing.
Characters are lively and suitably kooky, the homicidal skeleton is quite terrifying and Flip's interaction with him shows a real sense of peril. The atmosphere is what sets 'Spooks' apart from the rest of the series, there is a claustrophobic feel and a sense of surprising peril and such a great job is done evoking genuine horror and creepiness. The pacing is never dull.
Flip is a bit bland still though, he never was one of animation's most compelling, most interesting or personality-filled lead characters. The atmosphere and supporting characters more than make up for the slightness of the story.
Otherwise, this is very good and one of Flip's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'Spooks' for me is among the best Flip the Frog cartoons, as well as being one of the original and easily the series at its creepiest. It is a very good cartoon, it is not perfect but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.
A lot of good things in 'Spooks'. The animation is good, with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The opening sequence in fact is outstanding. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.
There are more sight gags than a lot of the previous Flip the Frog cartoons, and they are very creative, beautifully timed and can be quite scary . Maybe not hilarious but they are some of the best gags of the series easily. There is a nice natural charm, a good deal of zest and it is certainly among the least sentimental Flip the Frog cartoons, which is a good thing.
Characters are lively and suitably kooky, the homicidal skeleton is quite terrifying and Flip's interaction with him shows a real sense of peril. The atmosphere is what sets 'Spooks' apart from the rest of the series, there is a claustrophobic feel and a sense of surprising peril and such a great job is done evoking genuine horror and creepiness. The pacing is never dull.
Flip is a bit bland still though, he never was one of animation's most compelling, most interesting or personality-filled lead characters. The atmosphere and supporting characters more than make up for the slightness of the story.
Otherwise, this is very good and one of Flip's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox